Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Brock-Mohawk Collaborative Studies Program

As a teenager in high school, trying to
figure out what you want to do in life as you apply to universities and
colleges can be difficult. As an adult… that’s where it gets tricky.

I had graduated from a diploma program at
George Brown College and I had found myself in a rut. I was 20 when I graduated
and I was intimidated by the professional world. I continued to work in retail
for a year and a half, where I felt comfortable, until I found a full-time job
as an office administrator and estimator for a lumber company. It took me
another year and a half to figure out that the direction I was heading it
didn’t correlate with my goals in life.

I knew that I didn’t want to waste my
diploma and after a lot of research, I decided that I wanted to go back to
school and enhance my studies so that I could find a job that better suited me.
I was juggling between the idea of specializing in human resources or public
relations when I found the Brock-Mohawk collaborative studies program. I knew I
hit the jackpot! I did more research and decided that my skills were better suited
for public relations. I immediately set
out to complete my application to Brock University’s communication studies
program with the intent of maintaining my average in order to apply to and
qualify for the collaborative studies program after my first year.

What’s great about the collaborative
program is that students are able to receive theoretical knowledge as well as
hands-on experience by enrolling in both university and college courses.
Normally taking five years to complete, the collaborative program also allows you
to achieve an Honours degree at Brock University and a certificate from Mohawk
College in four years. What also attracted me to the program was its fast-track cirriculum. Being an adult going back to school for four more years, I didn't want to waste anymore time. This collaborative program saved me a year of schooling, while still offering all the benefits of receiving education for a degree and post-graduate certificate. Students are enrolled at Brock University for years one,
two and four, and are placed at Mohawk College during their third year of
studies. As students walk across the graduating stage after completing the four
years of studies, they are presented with the Honours degree in communication
studies and the post-graduate certificate in public relations.

What an eye-opener this program has been!
Through one semester in the public relations post-graduate certificate program,
I have learned a lot about the industry. I am excited, I am nervous, and I know
that upon graduation, I will be ready. Even if I was unsure about pubic
relations but was curious about it, I would still have enrolled in the
collaborative studies program because it gives you exposure of the industry and
allows you to get an idea of what you should expect as a PR professional. You
also benefit from the program because even though you are combining two
programs at two different institutes into a 4-year university enrolment, you
are still able to graduate with an honours degree plus the certificate you have
achieved from the college experience.

Although I had previously experienced
college after high school, I appreciate the schooling and education that I am
now receiving at both Brock University and Mohawk College. I feel that the two
programs complement each other perfectly and I have benefited from having
exposure to both education settings which have prepared me for life in the real
world as an industry professional.

For more information about Brock
University’s collaborative study in public relations, visit: